Cigar-box.



UNITED STATES I Patented June 2, 1903.

MORRIS BROWN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CIGAR-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 729,999, dated June 2, 1903. v

Application filed January 27, 1903. Serial No. 140,736. (No model.) I

To all whmn it ncty concern:

Be it known that I, MORRIS BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State 5 of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cigar Boxes, of "which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. to This invention is an. improvement on that described and claimed-in'United States Letters Patent No. 640,741, granted to me J anu-:

my 9, 1900. One of the objects of the invention covered'by thepatent above referred to was to provide means whereby a cigarboX should have the appearance of being filled with cigars, no matter how many had been removed therefrom, and this was accomplished by means of a spring-supported false bottom which was gradually raised and held in a raised position as the cigars were removed from the top of the box, the opera tion being such that when one layer of cigars were removed the false bottom would be 2 5 raised through a space equal to thethickness of one layer of cigars; and the object of this invention is to provide improved means for accomplishing the above result, consisting of certain features of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in'the following specification, of which theaccompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of myimprovement are desig- 3 5 nated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which- Figurel is aplan viewof a cigar-box made according to my invention with the top or cover removed; Fig. 2, a. similar View with 40 the false bottom removed; Fig. 3, a bottom plan View of the box; Fig. 4, a bottom plan view of the false bottom; Fig. 5, a diagonal section of the box complete and taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 a section on the 1 c 6 of Fig. 1.

In the practice of m y'invention', as shown in the accompanying drawings, I provide a cigar-box a, which may be of'any desired shape or form, either square or oblong, and

said box comprises a bottom portion a a re movable top a end portions a and sides of. WVithin the box a is placed a false bottom 1), the under surface of which is provided with fourdiagonally-arranged rows ofratchetteeth 13 which correspond with the separate 5 5 corners of the false bottom, and secured to the bottom a? of the box are two plate-sprin gs c, said springs being arranged diagonally of the box, so as to correspond with the rows of ratchet-teeth b and said springs are crossed do.

centrally of the bottom of the box and secured together and also secured to said bottom, as shown at 0 and these springs are segmental in form, and the ends thereof ex: tend upwardly and operate in connection with the ratchet-teeth b, as clearly shown. The false bottom I) is also provided with staples orloops b ,which extend downwardly and which are adapted to pass through holes d' in the bottom a of the box, and formed in the bottom surface of said bottom a of the box is a longitudinal depression or recess 6, and in order to hold the falsebottom b in a depressed position while said box is being filled with cigars the said false bottom is depressed to the lowest extent, and in this operation the staples or loops 1) pass downwardly through the holes or openings d, and a locking-pin f is passed through said loops or staples, and by reason of the construction -shown and described the'loops or staples d and the locking-pin f are flush with the bottom surface of the bottom a of the box.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, one side of the box is also provided'near one end thereof with a vertical SlOtf, or opening g", and the false bottom I) is provided with a pin, blade, or similar device g which passes through said slot or opening, and in practice the Government stampis placed over this slot 0 oropening, and as the false bottom rises, as hereinafter described, the stamp is automatically destroyed.

In practice the false bottom b is depressed and locked in the depressed position,as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, and the cigars are then placed in the box in the usual manner, said cigars being arranged in regular layers or tiers. The box is then sealed or the top a is secured in place and the locking-pin f is withdrawn, or said locking-pin may remain in place until the box is opened or the cover a removed. After the cover a has been removed the cigars may be removed from the box in the usual 'manner one or more at a time, and after one tier or layer has been removed the springs 0 will raise the false bottom through a space occupied by one tier or layer, and the box will thus always have the appearance of being full of cigars, and in practice the springs c are so adjusted that the removal of a layer of cigars will cause said springs to raise the balance of the cigars and the false bottom 7), as above described. Of course it is not absolutely necessary that this adjustment of the springs c be absolutely exact, and the false bottom may rise when only a portion of a tier or layer of cigars is removed or it may not rise until an entire tier or layer is removed and a portion of another, the only object in this connection being to so raise the false bottom as to give the box the appearance of being practically full of cigars.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A cigar-box provided with a false bottom, the under side of which is provided with diagonally-arranged rows of ratchet-teeth, diagonally-arranged plate-springs secured to the bottom of said box and the ends of which are curved upwardly and adapted to operate in connection with said ratchet-teeth and means for locking the false bottom in a depressed position, substantially as shown and described.

:3. A cigar-box provided with a false bottom,

the under side of which is provided with diagonally-arranged rows of ratchet-teeth, diagonally-arranged plate-springs secured to the bottom of said box and the ends of which are curved upwardly and adapted to operate in connection with said ratchet-teeth, and means for locking the false bottom in a depressed position, consisting of a staple or loop secured to the bottom thereof, a hole or opening in the bottom of the box through which the staple or loop is adapted to pass and a locking pin movable through said staple or loop on the bottom surface of the box, substantially as shown and described.

3. A cigar-box provided with a verticallymovable false bottom having diagonally-arranged rows of ratchet-teeth 011 the bottom thereof, curved plate-springs secured to the bottom of the box and the ends of which are directed upwardly and adapted to operatein connection with said ratchet-teeth, devices for locking the false bottom in a depresse position, and means whereby the vertical movement of said false bottom will destroy a stamp placed on the box, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 22d day of January, 1903.

MORRIS BROWN.

Witnesses:

BERNARD 13. Bnaxowrrz, SAMUEL QOLDSTEIN. 

